Recently, Chiquita Landfill has been in every local and regional news source because of its out-ofcontrol heating reaction that has caused leachate pollution to flow into the Santa Clara River. Last month, the EPA released a report saying the Chiquita Canyon Landfill presented an Imminent and Substantial Endangerment to Nearby Communities citing elevated levels of benzene, a hazardous substance that the CDC has linked to leukemia.

The Social and Environmental Justice Team has been working on the Chiquita landfill issue for many years from opposing its expansion in 2017 to considering a resolution to bring to the
Congregation over the most recent problems. This 5th Sunday talk will include a brief history of the landfill and the historical community of Val Verde that it is negatively affecting, a discussion of the social justice issues and an opportunity to examine why it is that our society produces so much waste.

EPA website for Chiquita Canyon landfill